Sweet Pongal /Sarkkarai pongal in pressure cooker

Sarkkarai Pongal/Sweet Pongal is a sweetened rice dish made with raw rice, and jaggery, and ghee. It is called sarkkarai pongal in Tamilnadu or gud Ka chawal in the north. Sarkkarai pongal is usually prepared on the day of Thai pongal i.e on the first day of tamizh month thai. It is also offered as a prasad to God . Whether it is kula Deiva vazhipaadu or any pooja at home, sarkkarai pongal will be one of the items for neivedhyam. This can also be made as a one-pot dish.

                        

Substitutions:

• You can use any millet in the place of rice.I'm preparing for neivedyam so i'm using raw rice. If you are using millet, soak for 30 minutes before cooking.
• You can cook the rice in water, without using milk.
• Instead of cardamom, cardamom essence can be used.

Key ingredients:

Rice - Raw rice is used.

Jaggery-  I'm using achu vellam(block) you can use muzhu vellam also.

Ghee, cashew nuts, water/milk, raisins, cardamom.

You may also try:

Akkaravadisal

Zarda Pulao

Mambazha Sadam

Equipment used: Pressure cooker/pan, mortar, and pestle, saucepan.

Recipe:

Total Time Taken - 30 minutes.

No.of servings - 3

Ingredients:

Raw rice - 1/2 cup

Moong dal - 3 tbsp

Jaggery - 1.5 cup

Water - 2 cup

Milk - 1/2 cup

Tempering:

Ghee -  2 tbsp

Cashew nuts -5

Raisins - 6

Cardamom - 2

Directions:

1. Heat a pressure pan. Dry roast moong dal till it releases the aroma

2. Add rice. Give a good stir. It should be hot when you touch it.

3. Wash rice and dal in running water.

4. Add water and milk.

5. Close the lid of the pressure cooker.

6. Pressure cook for 2 whistles on high and 3rd whistle on low. Allow cooling.

7. Powder the jaggery, add little water to another vessel, dissolve the jaggery in water by keeping it in the medium flame. Allow cooling.

8.Filter the impurities,in a cheese cloth or with a filter.

9. Now open the pressure cooker, add the cooked rice to the melted jaggery. Mix well, by mashing the rice-dal mixture with the back of a ladle and cook till the jaggery and rice combine well.

10. Heat a seasoning pan, add ghee, add cashews, raisins, cardamom. When cashews become golden, pour it over the sarkkarai pongal.

Notes:

• Alternatively, you can add powdered jaggery (if it is without impurities) directly to the cooked rice-dal mixture, add some hot water and keep on stirring till the jaggery melts and gets mixed with the pongal.
• You can add milk or water to get the consistency you prefer. I added an extra 1/2 cup of milk at room temperature to get pongal consistency at the end.
• You can add country cane sugar at the end if you prefer more sweetness.